


Whispers of the Marsh

by mr_drabbles



Category: Original Work
Genre: (kinda?), 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Awkward Romance, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Cryptozoology, Developing Relationship, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gay, Gay Character, Gay Male Character, Happy, Humor, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Past Child Abuse, Period Typical Bigotry, Period-Typical Homophobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Sad, Schizophrenia, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Slow To Update, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25303021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mr_drabbles/pseuds/mr_drabbles
Summary: In the early 1980's, an astrophysicist by the name of Richard Tanner runs into an older acquaintance and friend by the name of Axl Fleites, a horror radio host that he calls consistently, and wishes to spark their old friendship while reawakening their buried romantic feelings. In order to keep the tired Axl around, Tanner decides to make him his business partner in a newfound business that investigates cases of mysterious creatures and the cryptic. On the way through their adventures, they grow a friendship with Tanner's boss (Christopher Planet), his archivist brother (Reuben Tanner), a waitress and witch at the local coffee shop (Amelia-Grace Oconnor), and a lesbian punk who doesn't mean to come off as brash due to her passion (Zoe Alverenga). They also uncover something darker and more powerful than expected...
Relationships: Christopher Planet/Reuben Tanner, Ivles/Amway, Richard Tanner/Axl Fleites, Zoe Alverenga/Amelia-Grace Oconnor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	Whispers of the Marsh

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter takes place in July 14th, 1981 and was inspired off of Lemon Demon's "Touch-Tone Telephone," and "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher. Axl and Ivles are made by my boyfriend Harmy, who's instagram is @nyaziwaphale, and the drawing and creation of the mouse goat is made by Andromeda, who's instagram and twitter is @breadcrumbs! Please follow me on there at @mr_drabbles for more updates and drawings on my original works. Thank you for reading this and I hope you love it. <3

"You will live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension. Horrors that are beyond life's edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while, man's evil prying will call them within our range. This broadcast speaks of those unspeakable or even horrifying beings, from 10 to 3 at night."

It was a cool night in the small town of Looroe Point, Colorado; The only cool hours of the Western summers. It was when an astrophysicist, Richard Tanner, spent his nightly hours listening to the radio. He rode around the forests and mountains with the strong belief in the unknown and the sense of destiny hitting him like a deer. Like every night, he toured back into the town with no luck of strange phenomena, until he looked down at the ground.

"Sit back and get your favourite blanket 'cause tonight we will be talking about one monstrous being called the Mouse Goat." The car radio crackled with a smug overtone. "The name isn't scary, it is very stupid, but its story... not so much."

Tanner scurried his car to a halt. The Pacer's headlights beamed an unusual sighting before him. Glowing footprints spread across the pavement; Two small and two large. He squinted at the prints before reversing his car then forwarding it to the side of the road. He swung his door open, walked over to the prints that circled around the nearby phone booth, and knelt down.

"It's said that this creature first arose in 1958, rumored to come from the first nuclear power plants at the time." The host's voice was heard from the doors. "I wouldn't put it past them, as along with those rumors came the news that the creature was simply a skeleton mixed with the bones of a rabbit and a goat, with only glowing blubber covering its bones. some say their footprints glow..."

His eyes followed the fading prints and walked as far as he could before spotting the radio station.

"Oh no."

Tanner, without a pause, took the chance to call through the payphone. He rustled into his lab coat pocket for the crinkly receipt and muttered under his breath. He could never remember this phone number, despite having it for so long, and he always wondered why. His walls were covered in specific sticky notes at specific areas and there were always new ones every day. But when will those notes turn against him? The quarter clinked inside of the phone booth.

“It looks like there’s a call for us today-” The host made an audible sigh, although quickly muffled back, “-which appears to be a daily guest, Richard Tanner! Let’s see what this man has to say to say about our story tonight. Tanner?”

“Ah, thought I’d never be answered.” He stared down at the glowing prints and glanced around quickly. “I need you to listen to me, or at least open an ear before this night goes all… pear-shaped.”

“Tanner?”

“You were talking about the Mouse Goat legend earlier, am I wrong?”

“No. Are you looking to add anything to it?”

“I need you to look into a certain incident with the creature. At a certain point in the 60’s, it had a run in on a family farm.”

Paper rustling was heard, then a quick pull. “1963, Smiths family? Cheesy name, but what’s so significant about it?”

“Read it and read it well.” Tanner fixed up his position, holding the phone in his left hand. “And Axl?”

“Yes?”

“Stay a fair bit longer than you usually do for your own safety. I have a bad feeling about tonight. But if there’s anything bad that happens... you ring us a bell, all right?” The phone beeped to a close.

“Ring us a bell?” Axl read through the paper and furrowed his brows. “Alright?”

Axl wasn’t a man to avoid danger nor was he ever able to. He felt cursed. It was like those old times when puritans thought that their children were being cursed by the local witch they might have made angry. But, despite any case or warning, he wasn’t particularly interested in listening after this past decade.

But he did have a love in curiosity and reading, and he’d be damned if he were to deny a moment of exploration in his boring job. His lips followed along with his eyes. Even if there weren’t many listeners, the truck drivers might find a semblance of appreciation in following along with his train of thought. It was his job, after all.

“A local newspaper reports on September 14th, 1963, of a testimony from a farm family by the name of the Smith family the following morning of a strange phenomenon the last night. Joseph Smith, a 45 year old father-” He interrupted himself, “-wasn’t he the man that invented Mormonism? What is he doing farming around cryptids?” Axl snickered at his own joke and continued. 

“He says that he woke up to a strange cry of pain from his cows in the barn and went to check with his shotgun in hand - a very typical testimony in this show.” Axl cleared his throat and carried on. “Mr. Smith noted seeing a strange green glow and the smell of acid and smoke from the barn as he approached it and was surprised to see a glowing deer-like creature melting one of the cows with its own skin and suckling on the remains. Out of desperation in saving his cattle, he shot the creature with no avail. It apparently only angered it and the bullet instead melted. It screeched and headbutted towards Mr. Smith before running away, leaving burns on his legs. Now, would I ever blame that thing for getting angry? I’d be pissed too if I was eating a steak and all of a sudden I was gettin’ shot at, you know?”

The early morning crept its fingers upon his shoulders once again and he couldn’t help but shiver at the warning from earlier. He was thinking about the warning again. Or was it chilly? He wouldn’t care to ponder. He slipped his leather bag over his left shoulder after slipping his research back in and shut off the radio equipment and lights before setting off to the stairs. The radio station was small, with there being only three floors and stairs that connected to halls that lead to offices, closets, break rooms, and recording rooms. His recording room was on the third floor, making going up the stairs in heels ever more aggravating. 

He stepped towards the last turn of the stairs before hearing a loud clunking of metal and the smell of acid and burning. Clicking against the shiny floors could be heard before another loud crash leading with the sounds of plastic and cans. Axl froze, then leaned towards the wall carefully. He glanced at the floor only to see the semblance of a green glow and stumbled backwards, holding his weight back with the propped fire extinguisher.

Axl glanced back at what he was holding onto. A light bulb lit.

Cautiously, he shakily pulled the fire extinguisher from its hinges and immediately re-balanced his strength to pull it up and hold it up as a weapon. His body attempted to sway with the newfound weight and carefully stepped forwards to the corner to peek.

And as his eyes got used to the vibrancy, naked bones trapped in green sludge can be seen depicting familiarity of a rabbit and deer hybrid. Plastic bottles and snack wrappers surrounded it and behind it was the bent metal entrance to the heat vent. It was chewing into a half eaten muffin, but rather than chewing with its lack of useful chewing teeth, the green sludge that covers its irregular bones folded around the bits of food melted and disappeared into its mouth as if there were transparent guts. Glowing green hoof steps were seen in the vents. Axl's shoes squeaked against the steps.

The thing's skull snapped up to the noise and it immediately stood up, looking towards him with its lack of eyes. It hissed, sounding like a fire being put out as it bows its head, growling and aiming its large pointy tusks. It was small enough to fit through a heat vent, but large enough to rip through anyone's guts, and it appeared its goo only swallowed organic substances. In a rush of panic, Axl tried to lift the fire hydrant higher only for himself to stutter at a new predicament he wasn’t expecting nor willing to accept after years.

Tanner was behind the front door, his face seeno through the glass trying to take a long picture of the situation. The emotions all came back to Axl at once along with his long lost memories. His face weakened and his arms slid but attempted to grasp as best as they could as Tanner quickly jiggled at the door and swung it open.

“Oi, pleb!” He nabbed at a nearby water bottle, “catch this!” He threw the bottle across the lobby, catching the mouse goat’s attention and directing it’s anger to an empty wall instead. He sprinted towards Axl, snatched the fire hydrant away into his stronger left arm, and grabbed his hand with the other.

"Run with me," He urgently stated. Before Axl could stutter a question, Tanner rushed his way up the stairs, grabbing his hand and pulling him along to an office on the second floor. The clicking of Axl’s heels only left more evidence of their whereabouts to the creature, but their focus was too blind to it as faint clicking became angry rushing of hooves.

"Wh- But-" He stammered and quickly shuffled behind him, only going quicker when he heard a loud groan and hiss of distress leading into stomps behind them. Tanner swung the door and dragged Axl inside before him before locking the door behind him. Once doing so, loud banging and thudding could be heard against it, shaking being felt. They both pulled away, panting.

Axl stared at the other, processing the moment. Nervousness turned into contemplation. Tanner looked back, a full-fledged smile spread across his face.

"Lucky that I came by on time, Love?" Axl furrowed his brows at the accent before frowning.

_“Why the fuck are you here?”_

The smile quickly faded, his mahogany face softening into confusion. "That- was not expected?" Banging is still heard. “I did warn you, didn’t I? I stayed around to make sure that the mouse goat wouldn’t be barging along and going to kill you!”

"Not expected? I’ve been waiting to see you for more than decade and you only show up once a stupid ass mouse goat thing, that’s currently banging at the door, shows up. After a while, you get _very_ tired of waiting and you start not giving a shit about a dumbass of the past.”

Tanner expressed hurt. "...I don't remember you being like this in school. What happened to you? You were so anxious and friendly-" Axl cut him off.

"We might die and **this** is what you're hung up on? Really?"

He sighed heavily and pinched at the bridge of his nose, snapping his fingers nervously. He looked back at Axl and then at the door. He squinted and pondered. “You read the entry as I’ve told you, as I remember.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why did I want you to read it, Axl? You’re smart enough to know.”

He paused at the genuine compliment, feeling conflicted, before responding. “It gave more information to the cryptid, which is one thing. Like how it’s acidic and radioactive.”

“Yes, and?”

“...That it melted an entire bullet.”

“Good! Which means that blunt objects and guns won’t work, which is the whole issue here. How would we be able to handle a situation like this if hitting it is just going to aggravate it even more?” Tanner pondered.

Axl pursed his lips and glanced around the room. To the desk, to the floor, then to the fire extinguisher Tanner is holding. His eyes widened and he shook from the new idea, looking up to him. “The fire extinguisher.”

He looked into his eyes before erupting with glee. “Axl, you’re a genius!” He laughed in excitement and held his shoulder firmly in pride. “The temperature of the extinguisher! Due to the heat it has, it must have some sensitivity to it, right?”

“But how do we fight it without getting killed? It’s literally at the door.”

Tanner froze, then thought. And then thought some more. His expression became much more serious and his hand squeezed his shoulder.

“Listen to me, I might have a plan. It will be dangerous though.”

“I’m listening.”

“Hide behind the desk and let me handle it.”

Axl felt his heart stop. “What?”

“You have heels on, making running a bit hard for you, and you can’t carry the extinguisher as well as me. You have to let me deal with it.”

“But-”

“This isn’t personal. I just don’t want this to get anymore botched and I don’t care how cheesed off you are with me.”

Axl stared back at the banging door before taking a deep breath and nodding. Quickly, he scurried behind the desk and curled at the corner, holding on to his knees tightly.

Tanner nodded before turning the knob and swung the door open.The mouse goat marched into the room with its horns aimed right toward the opposite wall, plucking two holes into it as it did so. It attempted to pull away smoothly only to realize its predicament. It swung back and forth before finally pulling out.

Tanner pulled the hose from its lock and grasped at the pull pin as it backed up and then spun toward him. Axl's eyes widened and his breathing quickened. He lowered the now broken chair and went to yell out his name but was too late to stop it as the thing darted forwards.Tanner sputtered backwards anxiously before sprinting to the side enough to corner it, pull out the pull pin, and push the lever of the extinguisher. Cool smoke blasted at the screeching creature, confusing it from what it was previously trying to do, and before it could remember it scurried to where it came from.

He panted and lowered the extinguisher before letting it clatter against the tiles from being so heavy all of a sudden. Axl stood from behind the desk, knees shaking. The clear panic on his face from previously cleared away as much as possible at the quickest time Tanner didn't think was possible for a near-death victim. He frowned.

"Are you alright?" Tanner asked, taking a step towards him which proceeds in Axl stepping back, almost like it was out of fear.

"Fine. I'm fine. Why do you care?" His staring at the vent intensified as he ruffled at his sleeves.

"I-" His face scrunched up, "I just saved you. I thought we were friends. Why are you being so aggressive all of a sudden?"

"Friends? What a stupid assumption." Axl stepped down and glared through him. _"You never even knew me to begin with."_

Tanner stared back, his eyes wide with disbelief and hurt. He stared down at the floor like a child being punished. "You're right. I didn't. But I believe we can still be friends. That you have the potential to be better."

"You're really that pathetic enough to believe that after all of that? You really think I'd be willing to befriend a stupid nerd like you?" He fixed his bag strap before walking towards the door, swinging it open before pausing to comment, "I'm going home. Don't come back." It shut.

And as the door shut, Tanner stood at the dead silent room, stuck in his own feelings. By the time they left each other, all they had were themselves to question as to how and what happened, and how they could have met each other again.

By the morning, Tanner went to the local coffee shop, Blonde Tease Espresso, before setting off for his job at a nearby observatory for his job as an astrophysicist. Although usually astrophysicists work at night to observe the stars, Tanner's job for the past three years at his workplace dealt with the data and physics analysis side of the job as a means of testing a hypothesis. It wasn't a job he was willing to take, but it was a job that can at least respect him for his talent. He sat at the corner bench of the cafe to scan through the morning's newspaper, biting into his apple fritter.

"Vanilla donut with sprinkles, please. And a medium hot chocolate." A familiar voice said at the cash register.

The fritter faltered at Tanner's lips as he peeked from the roof of his newspaper only to see Axl presented similarly as he was last night although he swore that the bags under his eyes looked heavier. His excitement got the better of him as he rustled the papers down at the table and sprinted over in his fumbled fashion much to Axl's displeasure.

"Add marshmallows to my mate's cocoa as well, may you please?" Tanner enthused as he saddled an arm around his shoulders. The waitress raised an eyebrow towards Axl which proceeded in a clearing of the throat.

"Not my friend. But keep the marshmallows." Axl shoved the other's arm away, crossing his arms. The waitress shrugged and walked away letting him comment without a mediator. "How much of a dick do I have to be to you for you to understand that I hate you? I don't want to associate with you, no matter how many stupid marshmallows you put in my drink."

"Well, I didn't come back to the station as you've requested," he remarked, "but I'm still optimistic. I know you at least care."

"Caring would mean that I would be accepting of your measly pathetic request of being friends with me. Now if you'd get out of the goddamn way, I'd like my drinks. Alone. Without a delusional idiot making some sort of fluffy unicorn optimisms with me."

Before Axl could turn away with his order, he stepped in front of him. "Not without knowing why. If you really didn't want to talk to me, you wouldn't have answered all of my calls to your station-"

"It's a radio show, Dick. A fucking radio show that needs a good personality that audiences enjoy. I can't just hang up on you, especially with your squeaky British ass being recognizable."

"You know it's more than my previous fame. If it was just fame, you wouldn't have panicked over me, would you?"

Axl pursed his lips. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You looked gobsmacked back there, it was obvious! I'm not blind!"

"You clearly are, because you misinterpreted it." Axl hissed, clearly not fond of the repetitive conversation. He sat at the nearest open table and Tanner followed suit.

He swiftly grabbed a chair. "How did I misinterpret it then? Since you're the smart lad here, apparently, maybe you could tell me what got you in such a tizzy."

Axl didn't respond, but instead shoved his vanilla donut into his mouth aggressively without any clear excuse as to why he was terrified or "gobsmacked" at that moment. He chewed loudly and glared at the table.

Tanner stared at him, looking for any signs of an answer, but he gave up. He slouched back in his chair and crossed his arms with an aggressive heat in his chest towards the lack of a response. "You have nothing to say? Am I really that much of a nuisance to you?"

"No, that's not- I wasn't-" He stammered, then sighed. "Why do you have to be so stubborn..." He muffled behind his muffin and swallowed in defeat. It wasn't worth the trouble to hold back anymore on his question. "Why did you try to save me last night? I mean, it's apparent you're dumb as bricks, but even guys who're as stupid as you would never stick around once I start mentioning their stupidity to them."

Tanner softened at the question and glanced at the Cafe sign to his right. He thought the answer would be obvious but it seemed not so much. What would make this man think that he has to have an extremely good reason to save his life?

"Because I believe that you should have a second chance just like anyone else. You call me stupid, just as you have told me now, but I don't believe you aren't as bad of a person as you are trying to be. I want to be optimistic. I want to at least give you that chance." He shifted and tapped his fingers. "And even if that chance fails, at least I gave you it. Because I don't think I would live with myself knowing I got an innocent person killed."

Axl was reluctant to respond to that, but continued to drink his hot chocolate. The added marshmallows sweetened the drink more than he thought, but he didn't want to admit it, not in the face of a beaten argument. So, he denied his chances of losing.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"It's a little too late to tell me that."

"Then the reasoning behind your salvation was stupid."

"Are you daft enough to really admit you wouldn't mind letting someone die? If we switched places, you wouldn't do the same for me? Is that your way of winning here, Axl?"

"I didn't-" Axl clacked his cup down on the table. "I didn't ask for your help and never did. Your relentless bugging is ruining my drink. If your _so much_ kinder than me, you should fuck off."

Tanner leaned in, looking deep into his eyes. "You didn't _need_ to ask. You don't ask me to save you, I just do it. Because I care about you, no matter how miffed you are about it."

Axl couldn't look away. "Why do you keep persisting so much?" He mouthed.

"Because I made a promise to you."


End file.
